Dental floss is a solution for cleaning food residue that is still stuck between the teeth. Getting used to brushing your teeth regularly and using dental floss can reduce the risk of various dental and oral diseases.
Brushing your teeth twice a day is actually not enough to keep your teeth clean and healthy. The reason is, toothbrushes are not necessarily able to reach the nooks and crannies between the teeth, so that food scraps are often tucked between the teeth.
Therefore, you should complete your efforts to clean your teeth by using dental floss. If necessary, also use water flossing or mouthwash to rinse your mouth.
How to Use Dental Floss
The following is the correct way to use dental floss or dental floss:
- Take about 45 cm of dental floss and wrap the two ends of the floss around the middle fingers of the right and left hands
- Hold the floss tightly with the help of your thumb and forefinger
- Gently slip the dental floss between one of the teeth, then rub it in a C pattern
- Move the thread up and down gently and slowly so as not to injure the gums
- Apply the same thing on the sidelines of the other teeth
When you're done flossing, rinse your mouth with water or mouthwash. In addition, use dental floss at least once per day.
In the early days of using dental floss, your gums may bleed due to the friction of the dental floss being too hard. However, this condition is nothing to worry about because over time you will get used to using dental floss the right way.
Benefits of Cleaning Teeth with Dental Floss
There are at least more than 500 types of bacteria found in the mouth. That is why it is important to get used to cleaning your teeth using a brush and dental floss so that food residue does not become a breeding ground for bacteria that can cause disease in your teeth and mouth.
Research shows that people who floss regularly have a lower risk of developing tooth and gum problems than people who have never flossed.
This is because the use of dental floss can prevent the formation of plaque and tartar as well as a way to clean tartar itself, so that the risk of experiencing bad breath, tooth decay, and gingivitis or periodontitis can be reduced.
Although useful, you still have to be careful and use dental floss in the right way. The reason is, if dental floss is used improperly, especially continuously, dental floss can cause damage to teeth and gums.
Also, pay attention to the type of dental floss you choose. In general, two types of dental threads are commonly used, namely multifilament nylon and PTFE (monofilament).
Both types of floss have the same good quality for cleaning between the teeth. However, monofilament dental floss is more slippery, making it easier to move between teeth.
After knowing the benefits of floss, now you know that taking care of healthy teeth and gums by brushing your teeth is not enough. Therefore, also use dental floss regularly to clean between the teeth from food residue. Also, don't forget to check your teeth regularly with the dentist, at least once every 6 months.